Top Items:
Erick Erickson / Erick's blog:
In NY-23, Conservatives Win — The race has now been called for Democrat Bill Owens. — This is a huge win for conservatives. — “Whaaaa. . . ?” you say. — There are two big victories at work in New York's 23rd Congressional District. — First, the GOP now must recognize …
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Watertown Daily Times:
HOFFMAN CLOSING ON OWENS — Democrat ahead of Conservative by 2,512 votes — Democrat Bill Owens is leading in the 23rd Congressional District race. — The Plattsburgh attorney has 50,884 votes compared to Conservative Doug Hoffman, a Lake Placid CPA, with 47,166 votes.
Discussion:
TCOT REPORT 2009©, The Other McCain, The Daily Politics, the albany project, DaTechguy's Blog and Open Left
Michelle Malkin:
The GOP elite's $1 million object lesson — and the message of NY-23 — Conservatives owe NY-23 candidate Doug Hoffman immeasurable gratitude. He overcame impossible odds (single digits just a month ago) to come within two points of defeating Democrat Bill Owens. Hoffman had zero name recognition.
Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
Conservative Loses Upstate House Race in Blow to Right — SARANAC LAKE, N.Y. — Democrats won a special election in New York State's northernmost Congressional district Tuesday, a setback for national conservatives who heavily promoted a third candidate in what became an intense debate over the direction of the Republican Party.
David Weigel / The Washington Independent:
NY-23: Watertown Mayor: 'It's Over' — SARANAC LAKE, N.Y. - I caught Watertown, N.Y., Mayor Jeff Graham, who endorsed NY-23 Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman this weekend, looking very glum at Hoffman's election party. I asked him what happened in Jefferson County, where Watertown is located …
Chris Kelly / The Huffington Post:
Dud, Baby, Dud: The Lesson of Doug Hoffman — “I believe America is turning the page to a new dawn.” ~ Doug Hoffman, Concession Speech — Doug Hoffman lost his election last night. He was supported by a plurality of talk radio entertainers, and a majority of former half-term governors of Alaska, but it wasn't enough.
Glenn Harlan Reynolds / New York Post:
The Obama magic has faded — All politics is local, they say, and Tuesday's off-off-year elections certainly had their local angles. Jon Corzine has been a terrible governor even by the undemanding standards of terribly governed New Jersey. Creigh Deeds, though he looked …
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, Riehl World View, Jules Crittenden, Betsy's Page, Scared Monkeys, Runnin' Scared and Joust The Facts
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Dan Balz / Washington Post:
Gubernatorial contests serve as warning to Democrats — Off-year elections can be notoriously unreliable as predictors of the future, but as a window on how the political landscape may have changed in the year since President Obama won the White House, Tuesday's Republican victories in Virginia …
New York Times:
G.O.P. Wins Two Key Governors' Races; Bloomberg Prevails in a Close Contest — Republicans swept contests for governor in New Jersey and Virginia on Tuesday as voters went to the polls filled with economic uncertainty, dealing President Obama a setback and building momentum …
Discussion:
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Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Lessons from Election Night — Republicans had their best night in five years yesterday, winning two governorships in states that went big for Barack Obama last year. They came closer than some would have guessed in holding a California district while running a no-name against the state's Lieutenant Governor.
New York Post:
A deathblow to ObamaCare — CHRIS Christie's gutsy win in New Jersey puts the arrogant big spender Jon Corzine in his place. But it is the election in Virginia that probably has more to say to marginal Democratic congressmen considering how to vote on health-care reform.
Adam Nagourney / New York Times:
A Year After Dousing, Republicans' Hope Rekindled
A Year After Dousing, Republicans' Hope Rekindled
Discussion:
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Gary Langer / ABCNEWS:
'09 Exit Polls: Voters Wary of Economy, Obama Not a Factor
'09 Exit Polls: Voters Wary of Economy, Obama Not a Factor
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Ruth Marcus / Washington Post:
Ruth Marcus on empty harbingers in Virginia and New Jersey
Ruth Marcus on empty harbingers in Virginia and New Jersey
Discussion:
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Abby Goodnough / New York Times:
Maine Voters Repeal Law Allowing Gay Marriage — In a stinging setback for the national gay-rights movement, Maine voters narrowly decided to repeal the state's new law allowing same-sex marriage. — With 87 percent of precincts reporting early this morning, 53 percent of voters had approved the repeal …
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Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
What Happened and Why? — The outcome of all seven contests that we were tracking tonight appears settled, or very nearly so: — Virginia Governor: Republican Bob McDonnell wins by 17 points, toward the upper end of the range predicted by the pollsters, although not to anybody's great surprise.
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Yesterday's Overwhelming Historic Republican Victory Makes Democratic Health Care Reform Just A Bit Easier — Most of the commentary about last night's elections has centered around Republican pickups in the New Jersey and Virginia statehouses. But what's gone largely unnoticed …
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly: THE IMPACT ON HEALTH CARE.... To hear a certain cable news network put …
Jonathan Karl / ABCNEWS:
Top Dems: No Health Care Bill in 2009
Top Dems: No Health Care Bill in 2009
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Megan McArdle, TPMDC, RedState, Associated Press, The Politico, Prescriptions, Hit & Run, Time, Raw Story, The Reaction and Taegan Goddard's …
Cory Doctorow / Boing Boing:
Secret copyright treaty leaks. It's bad. Very bad. — The internet chapter of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, a secret copyright treaty whose text Obama's administration refused to disclose due to “national security” concerns, has leaked. It's bad. It says:
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Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Extreme unintended irony from a WH official — An Obama aide anonymously accuses Anthony Weiner of being a coward and not “manning-up.” — From Ben Smith's Politico article on the surprisingly narrow victory by Michael Bloomberg in the New York mayoral race:
Discussion:
Eschaton
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Carly Fiorina / Orange County Register:
Why I'm running for Senate — Our most pressing problems today are too few jobs for Americans and too much spending in Washington. — CANDIDATE FOR U.S. SENATE FROM CALIFORNIA — Recommend — Admittedly, I have not always been engaged in the electoral process, and I should have been.
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Wall Street Journal:
Iranian Police Clash With Protesters — DUBAI — Iranian authorities battled with opposition protesters in Tehran Wednesday, after demonstrators used the 30th anniversary of the storming of the U.S. Embassy as cover for their first significant protest in weeks.
Discussion:
BLACKFIVE
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John Nolte / Big Hollywood:
ELEMENTARY EPIDEMIC: 11 Uncovered Videos Show School Children Performing Praises to Obama — Big Hollywood has already posted a couple disturbing videos of young school children singing/speaking praises to President Obama, but when eleven more dropped in our email box it came as quite a shock.
Craig Whitlock / Washington Post:
Italian court convicts 23 Americans in CIA rendition case — MILAN — An Italian court on Wednesday convicted 22 CIA operatives and a U.S. Air Force colonel of orchestrating the kidnapping of a Muslim cleric in Milan in 2003 and flying him to Egypt, where he said he was later tortured.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog
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Think Progress:
Creigh Deeds Failed To Run As A Progressive — Republican Bob McDonnell won a “landslide” victory over Democrat Creigh Deeds in yesterday's gubernatorial election in Virginia, sweeping the state by a whopping 18 points. Exit polls showed Democrats had “trouble getting their base to the polls.”
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Mark Silva / The Swamp:
Bush, Clinton debate: Radio City — Suffice it to say that an entertainment company is in charge of this show: — Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush in debate. — The two former presidents have have agreed to meet at Radio City Music Hall on Feb. 25, according to MSG Entertainment …
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New York Post:
Crabby cabby boots same-sex lovebirds — An overzealous cabby allegedly booted a gay couple when he spotted the duo sharing a warm embrace in the back of his cold car. — Paul Bruno and his partner hailed the yellow cab Monday night at 13th Street and First Avenue and sat close, Bruno told The Post.